Difference between revisions of "Words of the form 'A-bomb', 'U-turn', etc."

Revision as of 11:04, 10 August 2020

A number of English words consist of two parts joined by a hyphen, the first part a single letter of the alphabet (usually upper-case), e.g., A-bomb, D-notice, U-turn.

Note on pronunciation: The first part of these words is always pronounced as the name of the relevant letter of the alphabet, and not as it would be if there were no hyphen. Thus the word B-lister (a celebrity considered to rank a little below those in the top category (the A-listers)) is not ;pronounced like the word ’blister’ with two syllables (IPA: /'blɪs tə/), but with three syllables (IPA: /'biː lɪs tə/).

Nearly all the words in this category have been formed for the sake of brevity: they replace longer, and sometimes rather cumbersome, originals. As such, they are especially useful when, as with newspaper headlines, space is limited and succinctness is at a premium or, rather differently, when, as with some technical reports, there would otherwise have to be frequent repetition of a single lengthy and/or cumbersome expression. (An exception to this general statement is the expression ‘the f-word’, formed for euphemistic reasons to allow a speaker to refer to the word ‘fuck’ without saying it.)

The words in this category have been constructed in different ways. Some have been formed by replacing one of the words in the original expression with its initial letter, which is then capitalised, as with ‘A-bomb’ for ‘atom bomb’ or ‘atomic bomb’ or ‘G-force’ for ‘force of gravity’. Sometimes an expression of which the capital letter is a part is replaced by the capital letter on its own, as when ‘turn which (mapped or viewed from above) resembles the shape of the letter U’ is reduced to ‘U-turn’ (and for the metaphorical use of this expression see below). Sometimes the hyphenated word draws on our use of the letters of the alphabet to grade or assess (A being the best category, B the next best, etc.): thus an A-list event is an event to which only those in the most socially desirable category have been invited.

Here is a selection of hyphenated words of which the first part is a letter of the alphabet:

A-bomb – atom(ic) bomb.

A-line (used of an article of clothing such as a dress or skirt) – flaring slightly from the waist or the shoulders (i.e., with an outline that resembles the shape of the letter A).

A-list – (those in) the most admired or socially desirable category.

B-list – (those in) the category immediately below the most admired or socially desirable category.

D-day – an abbreviated form of ‘Day-day’. The word is used in military circles (later expanded to any large-scale enterprise) to denote the day on which a complex operation is to start. This allows a large, complex operation to move its start date. Related elements in the plan of the operation are referred to mathematically, preparatory events being D-1 (for the day before D-Day), D=2 for the day before that, etc., and subsequent events being D+1 (for the day after D-Day, etc.). Nowadays, by far the best-known D-Day is the day in World War II (in fact, 6th June 1944) when the Allied Invasion of Northern Europe began. In an example of the value of the system, D-Day was originally scheduled for 5th June, but it was postponed for 24 hours because of adverse weather forecasts.

D-notice – an official notice sent to newspaper editors advising them not to publish certain information for reasons of national security. ‘D-notice’ is an abbreviation of ‘DSMA-Notice’ , i.e., Defence and Security Media Advisory Notice.

f-word – a euphemistic way of referring to the taboo word ‘fuck’. Note that the ‘f’ is generally lower case. (The c-word, similarly, refers to the most taboo word in current British English - and see n-word below.)

G-force – the force of gravity; used as a unit of measurement of the force experienced by a person (or object) undergoing, typically, acceleration. This may be experienced simply as weight: under normal conditions, each of us experiences the pull of Earth's gravity (-1 g) as our normal weight. It is more commonly talked of in terms of the conditions of acceleration in aeroplane or space flight, and in such horizontal stresses as those experienced by racing-car drivers cornering at speed, which may reach 6 g.

G-spot - an area of the vagina which, when stimulated, can produce strong feelings of sexual arousal. It is so named after Ernst Gräfenberg (1881-1957), the German gynaecologist who identified it.

G-string (1) – a small piece of cloth attached to a narrow band round the waist and used to cover the pubic area, worn especially by striptease artists. What the ‘G’ refers to is uncertain: some have suggested ‘groin’.

G-string (2) – a string on a musical instrument tuned to G (such as the lowest string on a violin which is tuned to the G below middle C).

H-hour – an expression formed on the model of ‘D-day’ (see above) and used in military circles to refer to the specific time at which a military operation is planned to begin, a time more commonly referred to as ‘zero hour’.

L-plate – a white rectangle with the letter L, fixed to the front and back of a car or other motor vehicle. The letter L (for ‘learner’) indicates, if red, that the driver has not yet passed the driving test and, if green, that they have done so only within the past year.

N-word - a euphemistic way of referring to the offensive word 'nigger', for black people - those of recent African descent.

T-bone steak – a large beef steak cut from the upper part of the loin and containing a T-shaped bone.

U-bend – a U-shaped bend in a drain or pipe, which traps water in the lower part of the U, thereby preventing the escape of harmful or unpleasant smells from the pipe.

U-boat – a German submarine, especially one operational in World War I or World War II. The word is a translation of the German U-boot, which is an abbreviation of Unterseeboot (‘under-sea boat’).

U-turn – a turn made by a vehicle which, if mapped or viewed from above, resembles the shape of the letter U and results in a reversal in the direction of travel. The word ‘U-turn’ may also be used metaphorically with reference to, e.g., a complete change of policy on the part of a government.

X-chromosome – a sex chromosome that appears in pairs in certain cells (e.g., the skin or muscle cells) of the females of many animals, including humans, while appearing as one of a pair with the Y-chromosome in those of males.

Y-chromosome - a sex chromosome that appears as one of a pair with the X-chromosome in certain cells (e.g., the skin or muscle cells) of the males of many animals, including humans, but does not appear at all in the cells of females.

Y-fronts – underpants for men or boys with an opening at the front within an inverted Yshape.

Z-bend – a stretch of road characterised by two sharp turns in alternate directions (so that, if mapped or viewed from above, the course of the road would resemble the shape of the letter Z). Motorists may be warned that they are approaching a Z-bend by a triangular road sign with a black Z-shaped symbol on a white background with a red border.